San Francisco's Climate (or why we didn't get tanned this summer 2010)

Blog: "I wasn't on vacation! I got lost in the fog of San Francisco!"

The summer in San Francisco is... Wait! What summer!? The only thing I have seen during the whole -supposedly- summer is a thick layer of fog over my head.

"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco". This saying is the coolest thing Mark Twain never said. It describes the SF summer perfectly. If you come to SF, you will hear people saying that they run the heater only four months of the year: January, February, July and August. In fact, some days of August, San Francisco gets colder than the city of Anchorage, Alaska, with less than 12ºC.

The summer fog is caused when the sun heats the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys, which draws in the cool marine air from the Pacific Ocean. Often a low atmospheric pressure area is associated with the interior valleys and an area of high atmospheric pressure out in the ocean.

The high-pressure area is called the Pacific High. In the meantime, the ocean currents produce a rising of cooler water. The result is condensed ocean water that rises in a mist: fog. Now the changes in atmospheric pressure move in -- air from high-pressure areas on the coast moves toward low-pressure areas, producing wind and moving the fog inland.

Did you get it? No? Watch the video...

Now is Setember; the summer has begun in San Francisco.

American family

De Vidal-Ribas n'hi molts en el món. Som una família amb més de mig miler de membres. Com a mínim 7 d'ells viuen a EEUU (bé, ara 8).

Fins ara he estat compartint la meva aventura amb el Glenn, que viu a SF. Però durant l'últim mes he pogut conèixer a la resta i retrobar-me de nou amb els que ja coneixia.

En germà del Glenn, Carlos, amb la seva dona, Debbie, i els seus fills, Trevor, Madison i Taylor van passar un cap de setmana a SF. Tots encantadors. No podia ser d'una altra manera.

El cap de setmana passat Glenn i jo vam anar a Austin, Texas, a visitar la seva mare i germana del meu avi, Marisol. La què considero al meva àvia americana és una persona excel·lent. Vaig gaudir moltíssim la meva estada a Austin. Entre partits del mundial i calor sofocant, també vam anar a un concert de Josep Carreres i referescar-nos als llacs d'aigua subterràneas.

El dissabte es celebrava al Col·legi Sant Ignasi de Barcelona la Vidal-Ribada 2010. Reunió quinquenal a on tots els Vidal-Ribas són convidats. Nosaltres vam fer la nostra reunió paral·lela a EEUU i enviar-los un video totalment 'casero'.

Austin és fantàstic, i la meva família americana encara més.

(Algunes fotos del cap de setmana a SF i Austin)





There're a lot of Vidal-Ribas in the world. We're a family with more than half thousand people. Al least 7 live in US (well, 8 right now).

Until now, I've been sharing my adventure with Glenn, who lives in SF. However, in the last month I met the rest of the family, and met again with those who I already knew.

Glenn's brother, Carlos, his wife Debbie, and their children, Trevor, Madison and Taylor spent one weekend in SF. They're all so charming. It couldn't be other way.

Last weekend, Glenn and I went to Austin, Texas, to visit his mother and my grandfather's sister, Marisol. Who I consider my American grandmother is an excelent person. I enjoyed a lot my stay in Austin. Among World Cup games and a stifling heat, we also went to a Josep Carreras's concert i cool down to the springs.

On saturday, the Vidal-Ribada 2010 took place at Col·legi Sant Ignasi in Barcelona. It's a quinquennial gathering where all the Vidal-Ribas are invited. We made our parallel gathering in US and sent them a totally homemade video.

Austin is terrific, and my American family even more.

My CV+Hearing loss= What a volunteer!

Una de les experiències que des del principi volia tenir a SF era participar en un voluntariat que em permetés involucrar-me d'alguna manera amb la comunitat americana. Doncs bé, ara fa un mes que viag trobar el centre perfecte.

Es tracta del Hearing and Speech Center of Northern California, una organització sense ànim de lucre d'atenció integral a persones de totes les edats que pateixen dificultats auditives o de la parla. El més interessant de tot és que a part de l'atenció mèdica, tenen un ampli ventall de serveis socioeducatius en que a part de les persones amb dificultats, involucren també comunitat i familiars.

Actualment hi dedico 5 hores setmanals a traducció de materials al espanyol. En breu, està previst que participi en les activitats que es fan amb els infants, en un marc lúdic i acadèmic.

A nivell personal m'està ajudant a conèixer-me una mica més: limitacions i possibilitats, estratègies, etc., en aquest nou món de la pèrdua d'oïda del que estic orgullós de formar part. I alhora estic aprenent molta terminologia en anglés en el camp, el que també em resulta útil.

Per cert, a partir d'ara encaregaré els audífons directament a EEUU. Són molt més baratos!!


Participating in a volunteer work was one of the experience that I wanted to have in SF to get involved in some way with the American community. One month ago, I found the perfect center to do it.

It's the Hearing and Speech Center of Northern California, a non-profit organization that offers integral attention to all people with hearing or speech difficulties. Apart from the medical attention, the most interesting is that they have a wide range of socioeducational services where, besides de people with dificulties, community and their relatives are also involved.

I currently devote 5 hours a week to translate some documentation to Spanish. Soon, it's planned that I start doing some activities with the children, in a more playful and academic framework.

It's helping to know myself a little bit more: limitations and possibilities, strategies, etc., in this new hearing-loss world which I'm proud to be part of. At the same time, I'm learning much specific vocabulary in English about the field, which it's useful, too.

By the way, from now on I'll order the hearing aids in US. They're much cheaper!!

Leaving the city... for a while

Fa poc vaig fer la meva primera incurrència a terres californianes fora de les fronteres de San Francisco. Vam llogar un cotxe i a fer milles (que no kilòmetres) cap el sud de la Bay Area.

D'entre totes les novetats, la més destacable va ser descobrir que sortint de la ciutat unes 15 milles la temperatura pot ser el doble d'alta. Sobre aquest tema dedicaré una entrada sencera més endavant.

Autopista 1 per la costa salvatge del pacífic. Preciós. Amb parada prèvia al nord de Half Moon Bay, vam anar a Santa Cruz: 100% californià. Passejada per la platja a l'hombra del parc d'atraccions, i conversa postcafè amb els lleons marins. Farts de sol, marxem a visitar els avions acrobàtics a San José. Un company, que té passió pels artefactes...

Aire nou i la agradable sensació de que em queda molt per veure.

El mateix cap de setmana ens impliquem en les festes locals del Carnaval del barri de La Misión i la celebració de Memorial Day, quan es recorda a tots els militars defallits en defensa de la llibertat i d'EEUU. Tenen molt a recordar...

(cliqueu als links en blau si voleu veure algunes fotografies)


Few time ago, I did my first trip to Californian Lands outside the borders of San Francisco. We rented a car and drove miles (not kilometers) heading South Bay Area. From all the novelties, the most surprised was realizing that going out the city about 15 miles the temperature can be as twice as inside. I'll write an entire post about this topic later.

Highway number 1 along the wild coast of the Pacific Ocean. Beautiful. With a previous stop at the north of Half Moon Bay, we went to Sant Cruz: 100% Californian. Walking along the beach under the funfair's shadow and postcoffe talk with the seals. Fed up with the sun, we went to San Jose to see some acrobatics airplanes. A classmate has a huge passion for it...

New air and the nice feeling of knowing that there is a lot to see.

That same weekend, we got involved in the local holidays as the Carnaval in The Mission and the celebration of Memorial Day, when all the military who have died defending the freedom and the US are remembered. They have a lot to remember...

Bay to Breakers

T'agradaria saber com era el "Lejano Oeste"? Veure a l'elefant Babar fent conya amb el seu futur caçador? O a un indi fent l'indi? O millor, un ocellot fent malabars? Dos hotdogs enamorats? El príncep destronat? Una zebra enamorada de l'home impermeable? I tots plegats amb la policia de testimoni i trencant l'ordenança cívica com per a que a l'Hereu li agafi un atac de cor?

Doncs per això i MOLT MÉS hauries d'haver estat a San Francisco per la cursa de Bay to Breakers. És una cursa que creua la ciutat a on participen quasi 100.000 persones. Moltes corren. La majoria disfressats. I la majoria no arriba a meta i es queda pel camí. Així, alguns corren i guanyen premis, altres...

Crazy.

PD: So crazy.

Veure fotos

Would you like to know how was the Far West? See Babar the elephant making jokes with his future hunter? Or an Indian playing the fool? Or better, a big bird juggling? Two hotdogs in love? The dethroned prince? A zebra who's felt in love with the waterproof man? And all together with the police as a witness and breaking enough the civic bylaw to get Hereu a heartattack?

Then, for this and MUCH MORE you should've been in San Francisco for Bay to Breakers. It is a race across the city where almost 100.000 people participate. Many of them run. Most of them dress up as something. And most of them don't get the finishing line and stay along the way. So, some of them run and win prizes, others just...

Crazy.

PS: So Crazy.

The other side of/from the bridge

Anant per sobre del Golden Gate Bridge tens un accident de cotxe. Et dónes compte que has oblidat el mòbil a casa, i necessites demanar ajuda ràpidament. Busques un telèfon d'emergència al pont. Quan el trobes fas la trucada. El telèfon sona. Primer to. Segon to. Tercer to.

- Hola?
- Senyoreta, necessito ajuda! He tingut un accident!
- D'acord, no desesperi. La vida és meravellosa i aquest accident no ha de significar el seu final...
- Però què...!!?

Has trucat des del telèfon equivocat, amic meu...

Desafortunadament, una mitjana d'una persona cada dos setmanes es treu la vida saltant des del Golden Gate Bridge. I no només els locals, sinò que ve gent de tot el país només per fer això. De fet, per aquells que teniu el cor de pedra, hi ha un famòs documental sobre el tema anomenat The Bridge (El pont).
Aquesta és la raó per la que hi ha un nombre significatiu de telèfons per tot el pont. I també per mantenir un alt control sobre les hores de tancament del pont i les possibilitats del creuar-lo de nit.

Vam passar pel pont amb bicicleta en el nostre camí cap a Sausalito. Impressionant. Segur que repeteixo.




Going over the Golden Gate Bridge you have a car accident. You realize you forgot your cell phone at home, and you need to ask for help quickly. You look for an emergency phone on the bridge. When you find it you make an emergency call. The phone rings. First tone. Second tone. Third tone.

- Hello?
- Ma'am, I need help! I've got an accident!
- Ok. Don't desperate. The live is beautiful and this accident don't have to be the end of this one...
- What the..!!?

You made a call from the wrong phone, my friend...

Unfortunately, an average of one person each two weeks kills himself jumping from Golden Gate Bridge. And not only locals, but people from all the country come to SF only for this. Actually, for those who have a heart of stone, there is a famous documentary about it called The Bridge.

That is the reason for put in a significant quantity of phones throughout the bridge. And also for maintaining such level of control about the closed times of the bridge and the chance to cross it at night.

We went over the bridge by bike in our way to Sausalito. Impressive. It's sure I'll repeat.

I play football. Oh sorry, soccer!

Fa dos setmanes vaig començar a jugar a una lliga de futbol. 11 contra 11. Ja quasi no recordo quan jo jugava en un equip d'11. Fa quasi deu anys. He descobert (de nou) que cansa. Deixeu-me que us expliqui un parell de coses sobre el futbol no competitiu a EEUU (almenys a SF).

Vaig donar-me d'alta al nivell mig-alt. Jo pensava que podria ser massa alt: error. Sinò no s'explica que juguessim 8 contra 11+6 i guanyessim.
Crec que quan els americans estaven decidint quins serien els esports de contacte, es van aturar just abans d'arribar al futbol. Ara entenc perquè no és popular aquí. Només per a la vostra informació, jugar amb espinilleres és obligatori. No està permés jugar sense en cap cas. I el pitjor de tot: fer "segades" és SEMPRE falta. Fins i tot quan només toques la pilota i l'altre jugador és a metre i mig de tu. És molt complicat jugar quan pràcticament no pots tocar al contrari.

Sigui com sigui, estem guanyant tots els partits (el que és una nova experiència per a mi) i estic fent relacions amb autòctons. Pel pròxim partit hauria com a mínim aprendre'm els noms de les posicions dels jugadors en el camp i el vocabulari bàsic de futbol en anglés.




Two weeks ago I started to play in a football -oh, sorry- soccer league. 11 vs 11. I barely remember when I played in a 11 team. It was almost ten years ago. I've figured out (again) that it tires. Let me tell you a couple of things about the non-competitive soccer in USA (at least in SF).

I signed up for upper-intermediate level. I thought it maight be too high: mistake. There's not another way to explain that we played 8 against 11+6 and we won. I think that when the americans decided which will be the contact sports, they stopped just before get to soccer. Now I understand why soccer isn't popular here. Just FYI, playing with shinguards is a must. You aren't allowed to play without in any case. And the worst of all: slidetackling is ALWAYS fault. Even when you only touch the ball and the other player is 5 feet from you. It's very difficult to play when you can barely touch the oponent.

Anyway, we are winning all the games (which is a new experience for me) and I'm getting relations with Native American people. For the next match, I should at least learn the noun of each player position on the pitch and the basic English vocab in football -oh, sorry- soccer.